Britain and France Are Ready to Deploy Troops to Ukraine After Ceasefire Deal, But Russia May Block It
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a trilateral declaration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday evening, paving the way for the deployment of French and British troops on Ukrainian soil. The deal was reached after hours of talks at a summit in Paris attended by over two dozen leaders from allied states.
According to Starmer, following a ceasefire, Britain and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine. However, it is unclear whether this force would engage directly with Russian forces if Moscow were to relaunch an invasion of Ukraine. Macron made it clear that the goal of the force was to provide reassurance after the ceasefire and that it would be stationed "a long way behind the contact line".
US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that security guarantees for European forces in Ukraine are as strong as anyone has ever seen, but warned that they were not a guarantee against attack. He added that President Trump is committed to supporting Ukraine and will do everything necessary to defend its people.
The talks in Paris came amidst tensions between the US and Europe over Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland and his attacks on NATO allies. Several world leaders expressed concerns about trusting US security guarantees at a time when Trump was making such statements.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is willing to discuss peace agreements with Russia, but territory will be a major sticking point in the talks. He also conceded that intelligence sharing and weapons transfers are crucial modes of support for Ukrainian forces.
The deployment of British and French troops could be a significant development in the conflict, but it remains unclear whether it would have the desired effect on Moscow's stance towards Ukraine. The prospect of a negotiated deal followed by a subsequent force deployment seems unlikely at least in the short term.
As Starmer acknowledged, "We are closer to peace than ever, but of course the hardest yards are still ahead."
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a trilateral declaration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday evening, paving the way for the deployment of French and British troops on Ukrainian soil. The deal was reached after hours of talks at a summit in Paris attended by over two dozen leaders from allied states.
According to Starmer, following a ceasefire, Britain and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine. However, it is unclear whether this force would engage directly with Russian forces if Moscow were to relaunch an invasion of Ukraine. Macron made it clear that the goal of the force was to provide reassurance after the ceasefire and that it would be stationed "a long way behind the contact line".
US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that security guarantees for European forces in Ukraine are as strong as anyone has ever seen, but warned that they were not a guarantee against attack. He added that President Trump is committed to supporting Ukraine and will do everything necessary to defend its people.
The talks in Paris came amidst tensions between the US and Europe over Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland and his attacks on NATO allies. Several world leaders expressed concerns about trusting US security guarantees at a time when Trump was making such statements.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is willing to discuss peace agreements with Russia, but territory will be a major sticking point in the talks. He also conceded that intelligence sharing and weapons transfers are crucial modes of support for Ukrainian forces.
The deployment of British and French troops could be a significant development in the conflict, but it remains unclear whether it would have the desired effect on Moscow's stance towards Ukraine. The prospect of a negotiated deal followed by a subsequent force deployment seems unlikely at least in the short term.
As Starmer acknowledged, "We are closer to peace than ever, but of course the hardest yards are still ahead."
Britain and France are all, "Hey Russia, chill out," while Putin's all, "Uh no, I'm gonna invade." It's like that one friend who always says they're not coming over to your party, but then shows up uninvited with a bunch of noise-makers 
.
.
.
I'm all for this development 
. The fact that they're willing to deploy troops and provide a military hub across Ukraine shows that there are still good people out there who care about the well-being of others 
.
, and we should support them every step of the way 
. Let's hope that this deployment will help alleviate some pressure on Ukraine and create a more positive atmosphere for negotiations 
.
. We just have to keep believing in those values and work together to make a difference 
!
... like that's gonna make a difference. These European leaders think they're so clever, deploying troops willy-nilly without thinking about the actual logistics 
. Russia's not exactly going to roll over and play nice just because Starmer says so 
.
. Can't say I'm holding my breath for any actual progress 
. This whole thing is just gonna be a prolonged game of chicken, with Ukraine as the sacrificial lamb 
... poor guys can't catch a break 
.
It just doesn't sit right.